The Energy Tree

As you scan the headings and subheadings in the list below, consider their benefit in a locally sustainable infrastructure. These are real processes achievable through heat.

Space heating

Cooking

Hot water

----Convection space heating (old technology radiator)

----Cooking, bathing, etc.

----Heat storage in hot tub or tank

Steam

--Mechanical energy (steam engine)

------Shop power

------Electrical energy

----------Lighting

----------Appliances

----------Shop power

--Cleaning

--Pest control (cockroaches hate getting scalded)

Kiln or high temperature oven

--Ceramics

------Basic kitchen implements

------Special purpose bricks, etc.

------Stove parts

------Machine parts

------Tiles

----------Floors

----------Counters

----------Pools

------Vacuum chamber construction

----------Aluminize surfaces

--------------Mosaic for solar energy collector

--------------Lighting reflectors

--------------Reflective optics

----------Drying of foods, etc

----------Chemical separation processes

--Glass blowing

------Recycling broken or discarded glass

------Artistic creations

------Kitchen containers

------Chemical process hardware and storage

--Forge for blacksmithing steel

------Custom steel parts

------Custom tools

------Welding

--Metal casting

------Lead, Aluminum, pot metal

------Precious metals

------Copper, bronze

--Refining of certain ores

--Desiccant drying

------Heat retrievable through adding water

----------Portable stored heat

----------Transportation fuel

----------Camping comfort

------Drying vegetables and fruits, and other things

--Pyrolisis of wood or biomass (Over 40% of energy in wood is gas)

------Charcoal production and reactivation

----------Filtering

----------Clean fuel for cooking and heating

------Petrochemical replacement

----------Cooking gas

----------Internal combustion engine fuels, both liquid and gas

----------Bases for paints, solvents, plastics, varnishes, etc.

--Pyrolisis of bone and calcium based minerals

------Cement

------Plasters and related compounds

--Charge thermal storage for remote usage

------Solid thermal mass

------Desiccant or other thermal reversible processes

------Phase change thermal storage (such as eutectic systems)

Non-steam heat engines

--Forced air heating

--Shop power

--Electrical generation